Contents

Biography

Second Wizarding War

Work as an Auror

Sirius Black: "Tonks and Arthur would lose their jobs at the Ministry if they started shooting their mouths off and it's very important for us to have spies inside the Ministry, because you can bet Voldemort will have them"

Arthur Weasley: "We've managed to convince a couple of people, though. Tonks here, for one - she's too young to have been in the Order of the Phoenix last time, and having Aurors on our side is a huge advantage - Kingsley Shacklebolt's been a real asset, too; he's in charge of the hunt for Sirius, so he's been feeding the Ministry information that Sirius is in Tibet."

Kingsley worked as a Senior Auror in the Ministry of Magic. When rumour of Lord Voldemort's return was denied by the Ministry, Kingsley was convinced of his return, and subsequently joined the Order of the Phoenix. Along with Nymphadora Tonks, he worked as a covert operative, keeping the Order supplied with information. In addition, Kingsley was also assigned to lead the task force searching for Sirius Black by the Ministry. Since Black was a member of the Order, Kingsley sidetracked the investigation by feeding the Ministry disinformation that indicated Black was hiding in Tibet.[3]

In the Summer of 1995, Kingsley volunteered to be a member of the Advance Guard to escort Harry Potter to the Order's Headquarters at 12 Grimmauld Place. He was also at the Ministry on the day of Harry's hearing to answer the charge of using magic in front of a Muggle, and staged an argument with fellow Order member Arthur Weasley to protect their covers as Cornelius Fudge was asking questions. During the argument, he slipped Arthur a copy of The Quibbler containing an article that he thought Sirius would find amusing - an article that claimed Sirius was actually Stubby Boardman. He later attended the party at Grimmauld Place to celebrate Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger's appointment as Prefects.[3]

Guarding the Prime Minister

With the return of Lord Voldemort now publicly acknowledged, Rufus Scrimgeour replaced Cornelius Fudge as Minister for Magic. Following the unsuccessful attempt to place the Imperius Curse on Muggle Junior Minister Herbert Chorley, it was decided that the Muggle Prime Minister needed protection. Kingsley was assigned to the Prime Minister as a bodyguard, posing as his new secretary, in the summer of 1996. Kingsley's portrayal of a Muggle convinced the Prime Minister, who was shocked to learn the truth from Scrimgeour several days later. The Prime Minister considered him an excellent secretary, capable of doing twice the work of his predecessor.[4]

Despite his assignment to the Muggle Prime Minister, Kingsley did attend the funeral of Albus Dumbledore in 1997.[4]

Battle of the Seven Potters

With Dumbledore's death, and the Second Wizarding War in full swing, the Order's attention turned to protecting Harry Potter. With the protection he had at the 4 Privet Drive due to expire on his seventeenth birthday, a plan was formed to break the protection early and escort him to safety at The Burrow. Although still assigned to protect the Muggle Prime Minister, Kingsley was chosen to speak with the Dursleys, as his ability to act and dress like a Muggle would offend them less, and he informed them that they too would have to go into hiding for their protection.[2]

Several days before Harry's birthday, Kingsley was part of the Order task force sent to escort Harry to safety. Acting as a Protector, he rode a Thestral with Hermione Granger disguised as Harry by way of the Polyjuice Potion. During the subsequent battle, Kingsley and Hermione were chased by five Death Eaters, injuring two and possibly killing one. They were also briefly chased by Lord Voldemort himself after he killed Alastor Moody, but he broke off the pursuit once the real Harry was located. His house was one of a dozen safe houses used to confuse the Death Eaters, so that they would be less likely to figure out the real destination that Harry was being spirited away to.[2]

Kingsley and Hermione finally made it back to The Burrow, and Kingsley believed that their plan had been betrayed, challenging Remus Lupin with a personal question to ensure his identity. Satisfied, he relayed his news - including the fact that Lord Voldemort could fly unaided - to the rest of the Order that had returned, and waited anxiously for the others. Eventually, though, Kingsley was forced to leave The Burrow and return to his duty guarding the Prime Minister.[2]

Kingsley appeared to continue to work for the Ministry of Magic following the death of Rufus Scrimgeour, much like other members of the Order such as Arthur Weasley. However, he was forced on the run after he broke the Taboo about saying Lord Voldemort's name, and had to fight off several Death Eaters. He went into hiding, but remained active in the resistance effort, contributing to the Potterwatch radio broadcast under the alias of Royal, urging Wizards help protect Muggle neighbours.[2]

Battle of Hogwarts

Kingsley duelling a Death Eater.

Kingsley: "Tell Professor McGonagall Remus and I will handle this side of the castle."

Dean Thomas: "Yes, sir."

Kingsley: "Hey, Dean, on second thoughts, tell Professor McGonagall we might need one or two more wands this side."

In May of 1998, Kingsley was alerted to the coming battle at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Apparated to the Hog's Head, and travelled to the school through the secret tunnel joining it to the Room of Requirement. Arriving in the Great Hall, he consulted with Minerva McGonagall and took charge of the situation, dividing the available fighters into groups and assigning them to defend certain areas of the school. He, along with Arthur and Remus, led groups of fighters into the school grounds to intercept the enemy.[2] Shortly before the Acromantula entered Hogwarts, Kingsley duelled a masked Death Eater while Flitwick dueled Yaxley beside him.

Kingsley duelling during the Battle of Hogwarts.

Remus Lupin: "It is the quality of one's convictions that determines success, not the number of followers."

Kingsley Shacklebolt: "Who said that?"

Remus Lupin: "Me"

— Remus and Kingsley talking about the number of people at the battle of Hogwarts[src]

Kingsley with Remus just before the battle.

Towards the end of the battle, after Lord Voldemort displayed an apparently dead Harry to the defenders of the castle and Neville Longbottom had killed Nagini, Kingsley, along with Minerva McGonagall and Horace Slughorn, duelled Voldemort in the Great Hall. After Molly Weasley killed Bellatrix, Voldemort screamed in rage and blasted all three of them backward. When Voldemort attempted to kill Molly, Harry cast a Shield Charm then revealed himself, took up the battle, and killed Voldemort for good. In the aftermath of the battle, Kingsley was named as Acting Minister for Magic.[2]

Later life

Kingsley was eventually made permanent Minister for Magic, and set about ridding the Ministry of corruption and discrimination. He banned the use of Dementors to guard Azkaban, and made sure they would not be used to torment the opponents of the Ministry. He appointed Harry Potter as the head of the Auror Department, and made Percy Weasley a high-ranking official[5], reshuffling the Ministry thoroughly and becoming instrumental in the repairs of the wizarding world following Voldemort's reign of terror. He managed to revolutionise the way that the ministry worked, and with Hermione Granger, he managed to abolish the pro-pureblood laws.

Physical appearance

Kingsley Shacklebolt.

Kingsley was a tall black wizard and is described as broad shouldered. He was bald, and wore a single gold hoop earring. He had a slow, deep voice that was said to be reassuring.[3]

Personality and traits

Kingsley was calm and controlled, with a deep reassuring voice and commanding stature. Unlike many wizards, Kingsley mastered the knack of dressing and acting like a Muggle, leading to his assignment to guard the Muggle Prime Minister during the Second Wizarding War.[2][4]

Kingsley was also a good judge of character, and trusted individuals regardless of age, basing his judgements on his knowledge of their character and abilities. He trusted Fred and George Weasley with the defence of the secret passages during the Battle of Hogwarts[2], and allowed Harry Potter into the Auror Department at the age of seventeen.[6]

The opposite of the pure-blood advocates, Kingsley believed in equality and fairness for all wizards and Muggles. He was also brave enough to call Voldemort by his name, though this resulted in him getting discovered by a group of Death Eaters.[2]

Auror skills: Nymphadora Tonks stated that Kingsley was a high ranking Auror and her claim was fully backed up by Kingsley's expert talent in defensive magic, duelling ability and his natural cunning.

Charms: During the Battle of Hogwarts Kingsley cast an unknown spell on a Death Eater, causing the Death Eater to fly backwards out of a window that had just been broken but resealed itself. Whatever this spell was it can be assumed it was some form of time manipulation which is incredibly difficult to succeed in.

Flying: Kingsley used a broom to help escort Harry Potter to 12 Grimmauld Place and survived the Battle of the Seven Potters unscathed, evading many Death Eaters and saving Hermione in the process.

Patronus Charm: Kingsley, as a member of the Order of the Phoenix, was able to conjure a talking Patronus, a method of communication invented by Albus Dumbledore. It took the form of a lynx.[2]

Several members of the Order were killed during battles. It is unknown how Kingsley reacted when he learned about their deaths. After the Second Wizarding War, Kingsley and the remaining members of the Order likely remained in contact.

Etymology

Both "shackle" and "bolt" refer to means of imprisonment. Specifically, a shacklebolt is the threaded pin of a shackle allowing the linking of multiple chains and metal cables. This also hints at the reason his patronus is a lynx (links).

His first name, "Kingsley" suggests royalty, note the "King" in it. This may be the reason that in PotterWatch he was known as "Royal".

It is never mentioned if Kingsley was a member of the first Order of the Phoenix or not, as he is not in the original Order photograph. However, in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, he calls James Potter by his first name and compares Harry to him, indicating he knew him personally. This may indicate he was a member of the first Order, but this has never been officially stated. Since his age has not been declared officially, another possibility is that he may have also attended Hogwarts at the same time as James and his friends.